Samla Mammas Manna - Klossa Knapitatet (1974)

Artista: Samla Mammas Manna

Álbum: Klossa Knapitatet
Año: 1974
Género: R.I.O/Avant-Prog
Duración: 39:43
Nacionalidad: Suecia

Lista de Temas:
1. Ingenting
2. Liten dialektik
3. Sucken
4. Långt ner i ett kannihål (liten tuva stjälper ofta stort lass)
5. Kom lite närmare
6. Musmjölkningmaskinen
7. Influenser
8. Klossa Knapitatet
9. Ramlösa kvällar

Alineación:
- Coste Apetrea / acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals
- Hasse Bruniusson / drums, backing vocals
- Lasse Hollmer / piano, accordion, yodelling, vocals
- Lasse Krants / bass, backing vocals
Guest musician:
Brynn Settels / accordion

Otro aporte de Alberto y otro disco de estos suecos. Este es su tercer disco, donde logran encauzar maduramente su estilo, fino y extravagante a la vez, basado en el swing envolvente del jazz, los colores de la musica folklorica y circense, algo de minimalismo vanguardista, y también una buena cuota de espíritu satírico del tipo de Frank Zappa, dando todo ello una engañoosa sensación de caos controlado. Pero en realidad lo que funciona aquí es un enjambre bien afilado de excelentes músicos, cuya habilidad técnica y capacidad de retarse mutuamente es estimulante, como una competencia amigable pero sin pausa, prácticamente sin concederse descanso, especialmente en las partes más movidas del material.
Se destila un aire de plena libertad de expresión, apoyada sobre el manejo de estructuras rítmicas poco rígidas. Si seguimos con la onda del posteo anterior, y repasamos un poco de historia vemos que el rock progresivo nació a fines de los 60 y llegó a su máximo esplendor a principios de los 70. Durante esa decada aparecieron muy buenos grupos como cualquiera de los dinosaurios prog que todo el mundo conoce y otros tantos que estando entre bambalinas en realidad tenían tanto talento como éstos pero nunca estuvieron en la escena central, generalmente por venir de otras culturas que no eran las centrales, y entre estas grandes bandas por muchos desconocidas están los suecos Samla Mammas Manna. Fue una era increible plagada de talento y virtuosismo.

Sobre el disco, el tema de entrada transita en sus poco de mas de dos minutos de duración por el swing del jazz y la alegría de la farsa, lo mismo que los siguientes tracks. Por su parte, "Liten Dialektik" (el tema más extenso del disco), está engarzado en los senderos del jazz de manera más firme, al igual que el tema de cierre, con un espiritu más
solemne; compárese esto último con el interludio en clave de gag cómico titulado "Kom lite narmare", irresistible en su contagiosa frivolidad.
En suma, un disco lleno de sorpresas, que debe quedar como una de las muestras más osadas e ingeniosas del prog escandinavo de los 70s.

Como siempre, les dejo algunos otros comentarios de gente que sabe más que yo aunque escribe en inglés...

"Klossa Knapitat" was Sweden's eclectic group The SAMLA's third album released. This is one very wild album incorporating elements of Scandinavian folk music, pop, fusion, as well as humour, and group improvisation. When the band gets going it will remind you very much of fusion induced Miles Davis (minus the trumpet). Generally speaking this album is upbeat, full of rollicking piano and guitar, melodic in a sing-song kinda way, and a rather zainy almost slap-stick humour tossed in. Instrumentally this album is a real stonker with guitar, piano, bass, and drums, with occasional accordion and voices, and other assorted noisemakers. The SAMLAS were a solid mix of musicians and fans of the FLOWER KINGS will recognize the inclusion of Mr. Hasse Bruninsson on the drums and percussion. As far as originality goes this album stands all on its own with their "ever-shifting" musical prowess and deliver what I will coin "polka-prog" with heavy doses of Miles Davis and Frank ZAPPA thoughout. Overall an amazing recording sure to please all fans of fusion/prog.

James Unger

Samla Mammas Manna's third album "Klossa Kanapitatet" finds them exploring their extravagant yet classy jazz oriented avant-garde prog a bit further than its brilliant predecessor "Maltid". The show is going on; here the listener will continue to find that bizarre mixture of jazz rock, Northern and Eastern European folk, circus music, dadaist absurdity (yodeling, falsettos, wicked funny twists), a mixture accomplished with both fluidity and musical genius. As always, keyboardist Lasse Hollmer acts as the leader of the instrumental approach with his piano melodies and chords, and some added touches on accordion, while guitarist Coste Apetrea displays his finesse from his lieutenant's position; meanwhile, the rhythm section lays a properly volatile foundation for their partners, when not collaborating on the enhancement of the melodic/harmonic side of the repertoire. Whenever the latter happens, it just seems so incredible how the band can sound so chaotically free and cleverly ordained at the same time, during a specific complex passage. Well, SMM is most certainly a particular pinnacle (yet to be discovered and appreciated by prog heads all over the world) in the history of prog. The 2-minute opener 'Ingenting' starts folkish and ends as a merry-go-round waltz (claps, whistling and humming included), only to be segued into 'Liten Dialektik', an amazing jazz driven piece that goes places on the basis of successive diverse musical motifs. 10 minutes and 10 seconds of pure prog genius. After such an impressive track, it would be hard for anyone to keep the listener's attention with the same degree of awe and amusement. anyone but the SMM, who then offers 'Sucken', a cryptic, brief excursion towards the low tones of acoustic guitar and piano, segued into the half- polka half-jazz 'Lang ner i ett Kaninhal'. And once again, for the third time in a row, a brief piece ('Kom lit narmare', actually more a comic gag than a proper track) is segued into a high-spirited jazz number with some combined nuances of rock'n'roll and ragtime somewhere in the middle ('Musmjiolkningmaskinen'). The fun never ends, indeed. The intro motif of 'Influenser' comprises the most dadaist passages and the most dissonant chord progressions in the album - enjoyable only by those who are already embedded with the spirit of SMM's music. It also contains some of the best soling by Apetrea. The title track is actually an accordion solo performed by guest Bryn Settels: the street sounds in the background create an intimate ambience, something that has actually been there all around. I mean, the experience of listening to this records makes you feel like you are part of a collective clever joke in a silly party. The closure 'Ramlösa Kvällar' shows the band at their most meditative: yes, they can get serious too, but of course, not without a touch of weirdness. The marching tempo of the final jazzy motif works as a most effective ending for a real Scandinavian musical gem, a prog masterpice, indeed.

César Inca

Is it just me or do these guys remind you of Zappa in some ways? Well, they remind me of Zappa and have a very jazzy feel to them. I wouldn't call them RIO though, more of a fusion band, at least after hearing this cd. Still, it is very good and strong throughout most of the cd with interesting melodies.

Carl floyd fan

Not sure I hear a whole lot of RIO in Samla Mammas Manna, as the other RIO stuff I'm familiar with is a lot more forbidding than SMM's more playful fusion/bizzaro-prog insanity. With a good degree of mirth balancing out the band's obvious instrumental mastery, SMM cruises along on 'Klossa Knapitatet' as if they were born for this. Healthy jazzrock careens fast and furious throughout "The Mousemilkingmachine" (I'll use the English titles given on the CD) while Zappa-esque angularity weaves its way through "Small Dialectics". Some silly but frightening segues occur, mostly notably on "Come A Little Closer". All songs are enjoyable, no matter how short or long. The mostly-instrumental music is nothing short of a workout, with enough activity happening to stimulate and engage even the most prog- addled brain. Zappa meets Utopia meets Supersister meets Univers Zero meets Trettioariga Kriget meets acid? Maybe...
One thing that makes this a more listenable album than 'Maltid' is the more restrained use of vocals. So much of the vocal stuff on 'Maltid' is so whacky and da-da that it's not only hard to listen to, but detrimental to the enjoyment of the music. Though you get some vocals on 'KK', they're used more sparingly, delivered with a little less intentional stupidity than on 'Maltid'. Of course, seventh track "Influences" veers into this area for a bit, with harsh childlike cries that are disturbing and rather trying. But it wouldn't be Samla Mammas Manna without sounding like gifted musos toeing the line between genius and total mental breakdown.

Jeff Wagner

How could SMM better their work after the astounding Maltid? Well they certainly tried very hard to duplicate the success without making a carbon copy of their previous oeuvre or reproducing exactly the recipe and almost succeeded in bringing us something as tasty as Maltid. But Klossa Kuapitatet (KK for short) is still an excellent album, that was recorded the following year with an unchanged line-up and it was granted another weird freak artwork, again with no obvious relation with the music, even with the track titles translated.
Staying more or less in the same musical realm than with Maltid, KK actually dare goa little further in jazz (or jazz-rock as in the superb and lengthy Liten Dialektik), or in the burlesque (the yodelling of Kaninhal) or even in the dissonant and absurd (Influences) or in the festive folk and circus-like music (Mousemilkingmachine) and sometimes Crimsonoid deviations (Influences again). The Zappa stature is probably less present here than on Maltid though, and while the vocalms remains strange, we can also say they're less Focus-like as well. Elsewhere Holmer is giving us some accordion (yuck!!) on the title track, while the closing Ramlosa Kvallar is a fitting closing bit for such a crazy album that the name ended up being used for a future acoustic folk side-project, but here it's definitely more like Crimson playing Moonshine or Providence and after that returning to some brilliant polka music..
With Maltid under their belt, SMM tried a bit too hard to better or match their previous effort, and it is that very "forced bit" that does make the difference, but probably the opposite way they had intended. Still an excellent album, even if it lacks its predecessor's almost flawless aura.

Sean Trane

I've really been trying to love this album, considering that Måltid was a masterpiece, but although it does have some appeal I can't rank it anywhere close to Måltid or Familjesprickor for that matter. Still most fans rank it as such, something that I hopefully some day will understand.
Klossa Knapitatet feels less like prog and more like fusion (between jazz and folk music) which is an interesting combination but it gets tiresome pretty fast. But there are definitely some great standout performances like the track Musmjölkningmaskinen and the short but completely hilarious Kom Lite Närmare makes it an overall enjoyable experience. It's great to see the band evolve in a slightly different direction over such a short time period.
In summary, if you are a fan of Lars Hollmer and the band then Klossa Knapitatet is another essential release for you. Otherwise try one of the other albums instead, preferably Måltid, and comeback to this one once you've acquired a taste.

Alexander Peterson

The directionality of some features and the music characters will be able to be gripped as the activity and wandering of the band including this album. It is said that a lot of parts that follow the music character that this album constructed with "Maltid" in the remark of Lars Hollmer and derived it are contained. And, it is partial where the flavor of Jazz Rock that has been introduced individuality and everywhere of the possession by guitar player's Coste Apetra has been taken to the tune well. And, the overall fact of the music character that they were creating to which it characterizes and individuality and the base have already been established might be a point that should make a special mention.
It is guessed that the part of the base with which the band is formed is very important if their music characters are considered overall. If it borrows the remark of Lars Hollmer, it will be enumerated that the culture of a native type whirls incessantly in their music characters. The culture of Northern Europe and the melody of traditional might be consistent with the humour. And, there is a part where the model of the United States and Britain has not been so introduced into their bases either. These elements might consist exactly of an obstinate part and the character of their culture and root.
And, the flow that they were advocating at the same time as the character and the culture's remarkably showing in the music character at this time can be taken up. It is said that they were influenced from Kurt Weill of the composer in Germany according to the remark of Lars Hollmer. This remark might be a part of their elements. And, it might agree if some respects are enumerated. There is a kind of "oompah" as a part that they were advocating at that time. These elements agree with the part of Improvisation that has been gradually taken to the performance.
These elements agreed indeed. They make establishment and the revolution of the music character succeed further by the element of Improvisation to introduce positively. The guitar player emphasizes the humour and traditional further by alternating Eino Haapala back. Or, strong ensemble and Improvisation are established. Especially, their directionality at this time might have had the part of the formation for groping and establishment. However, their experimental performances including the part and sensibilities of the idea are reflected in the tune as a stronger part. The part of nervous is reflected and it is possible to feel it in the tune if it says in an opposite meaning. The music characters of men who have them introduce the part of the element and Improvisation of However, uChild Music" might succeed in the projection of a complete sensibility and the sense to the part of the base that originally has it.
Lars Hollmer produced the music for Improvisation and sent Chris Cutler the sound source at this time. And, Chris Cutler spoke very highly of the music character of Samla Mammas Manna. Lars Hollmer felt the criticism and the criticism that had been received from the home country for the created music painful. However, they might have had the role told to connect with the next generation through music and hope. The music character that Lars Hollmer had carried out as a result established a complete perfection at this time. Part of humour and technology. The spectator, and and, it observes by consider the interpersonal relationship and it is partial of vision. Their root and culture might have been created with performance and performer's elements. Zeal and the perfection concerning their music are overwhelming.
The melody that is reminiscent to the construction of a complex rhythm of their traditional and polka gets on "Ingenting/Nothing" well. The tune shifts to the part of three rhythms after continuing a bright melody and the rhythm. The melody of a humour and a complete culture is performed with the chorus.
"Liten Dialektik/Small Dialectics" is a tune where their original elements appear completely. It might be one of the highlights of this album. A complex rhythm and the melody develop attended with ten rhythm six rhythms. The melody with the humour and the composition that develops intermittently have an overwhelming perfection. Part where dash feeling is produced. Or, Chord with a complete transparent feeling and the anacatesthesia flows. And, the sound of the keyboard with the anacatesthesia strongly and ensemble is constructed. The tune explodes from Solo of the guitar further. And, it is partial of the flow that contains Improvisation that flows in the space. The session of overwhelming Jazz Rock is done. The tension gets on is continuously of four rhythms and six rhythms complete. The processing of the theme of ten rhythms that returns again in the part of Coda is the highest.
As for "Sucken/The Sigh", the part of the connection might be included for the album. The sound of the piano and the stringed instrument with the tension is impressive. The expression of feelings that often appears is their tastes, too.
As for "Lang ner i ett Kaninhal/Way Down a Rabbithole", the melody with expression of feelings tells the listener the element of Northern Europe. A complex rhythm and the melody consistently tell the part of traditional and the polka. Flow of guitar that produces part of humour. Or, the part where the element of the yodelling is introduced might be an act of nature. The performance of the accordion is suitable for the tune, too. Development and ensemble of five rhythms have succeeded.
A complete humour exists together to the avant-garde in "Kom lite narmare/Come a Little Closer". Flow of part by explosion and conversation of piano. The bell and the percussion instrument have been taken well. It merges in the theme of their consistency. It might mean the role and the connection that this tune also expands the width of the album.
As for "Musmjolkningsmaskinen/The Mousemilkingmachine", the taste of traditional in Northern Europe is reflected in the tune. A complex rhythm and a bright melody continue. Part of cheerful development to which six rhythms are taken. Or, a fast tempo that appears on the way and the flavor of Jazz Rock are complete. The guitar contributes to the tune. And, the flow of traditional continued is an element for them.
"Influenser/Influences" starts from complete Improvisation. This element be might an element that they were doing and original appearance. The tune is gradually taken the rhythm and progresses. Chorus who produces intermittent rhythm and avant-garde and part of voice. An original music character is constructed while arranging the parts of a few Jazz Rock overall.
"Klossa Knapitatet" will mean the part of the connection for the album. Their culture and root are completely expressed with the accordion.
"Ramlosa Kvallar/Frameless Night" starts due to the explosion of the guitar with the tension. Processing of piano sound that twines from another direction. The tension continues. Their tastes are shown while putting fast and slow. It progresses showing various respects.
The center of the music character that Lars Hollmer creates has been completely exactly established by this album.

Kazuhiro Kojima

In my opinion the follow-up to "Maltid" is just as good if not better. I love how prominant the guitar is on this one. We still get some silliness but not a lot of it really. Mostly just lights out instrumental work.
"Nothing" is a short pleasant sounding track that slows down late with some clapping and whistling. "Small Dialectics" is where things get cooking. This is very intricate as sounds come and go. Nice bass too.This is really good. The tempo shifts often. Prominant guitar 5 minutes in and I like the electric piano before 7 minutes too. Great tune ! "The Sigh" is a short piano and acoustic guitar led tune. "Way Down A Rabbithole" is uptempo with piano, guitar and drums standing out. It then settles some. Some vocal expressions after 2 minutes and accordion too as it gets silly for a minute.
"Come A Little Closer" is two guys talking fast in Swedish with silly background sounds before it ends with music. "The Mousemitkingmachine" is uptempo and sounds amazing. It's more powerful a minute in. Some nice guitar after 3 minutes. A change a minute later as piano leads, then back to the original soundscape. "Influences" opens with sounds coming and going including vocal expressions. It builds to an intense climax before 4 minutes then we get a beat with guitar. Keyboards replace guitar late. "Klossa Knapitatet" is a short piece with accordion and other sounds. "Frameless Nights" is my favourite. Guitar and piano to start, bass too. The guitar is laid back but oh so good. A calm follows then back to the previous melody.
If you have "Maltid" but don't have this one, I strongly suggest you seek it out. You won't be disappointed.

John Davie

Figures that if I find an album from an unfamiliar (to me) group that I consider a masterpiece, then the next one I get from the same group will inevitably disappoint in some regard. Such as the case with Samla Mammas Manna; MALTID is an eclectic, complex, silly masterpiece, and KLOSSA KNAPITATET is essentially a lighter version of MALTID.
The longest track (''Small Dialects'') gives the listener an idea where Samla was headed on this album; greater focus on the tight instrumentality of the group. It's a great showcase of the band's talents, especially Coste Apetrea, but missing are the chirpy vocals that gave MALTID its charm. It's lead-in (''Nothingness'') still carries the humour with the bizarre ballroom number at the end of which the band starts whistling at some point in the piece.
The rest of the album carries the instrumental power from ''Small Dialects'' pretty swimmingly. ''Way Down a Rabbithole'' is easily the highlight with the proper mix of the idiosynchratic music style of Samla and their humour; here, they do a polka jig in the middle with someone yodeling. Doesn't get much more comical. The chirpy vocals creep their way into ''Influences'' and the ''Come a Little Closer'' track is nothing more than Samla goofing off with bike horns and Bruniusson's odd percussions. Those looking for the more musical highlights will find ''Mousemilkingmachine'' and ''Framless Night'' doing the trick.
I came into this from MALTID, and with the praise I have for MALTID, it was pretty hard for KLOSSA KNAPITATET to top that. Even if the title track is a cool accordion thing, it just doesn't do the trick that MALTID did. Still, KLOSSA KNAPIATET is an excellent melodic album from the RIO field that would fit very nicely in many a prog collection.

David Carr

Come 1974 and this genuine Swedish group would move on to the recordings of a new album.The destination was clear, the Decibel Studios with Anders Lind as a producer, the title was ''Klossa knapitatet'' and this work was recorded in just three days during November 74'.The artwork was now partly created by Tage Asen (who was responsible also for the cover of ''Maltid'') with the help of Anders Lind and Pelle Engman.The album was released again on Silence Records.
Gone are the discreet symphonic orientations of the debut in the name of an even more adventurous and complex sound with an evident R.I.O. approach, while an increase appears in the humoristic edges of the album, either being some playful tunes or the wordless falsetto vocals of the band.The role of the accordion and the acoustic piano is more dominant and so are the jazzy and folky orientations.The album was structured through some short instrumental introductions and longer, complicated pieces with endless tempo and mood changes, always fronted by a Nordic flavor, main reason setting the band part from other R.I.O.-driven groups of the time.To my ears they sound like a cross between RAGNAROK and GENTLE GIANT in this album, delivering intricate and highly technical musicianship full of sudden breaks, swirling around romantic tunes and jazzy arrangements, highlighted by the monumental accordion performance by Hollmer, a man who definitely introduced the instrument to Prog music.And then there is Apetrea's flawless and schizophenic guitar executions, supported by Hollmer's often atonal piano lines.The music sounds often chaotic, but it has a weird charm with all these twists and turns, listening to the 10-min. ''Liten dialektik'' is enough to understand the band's evolution, passing through Jazz, Folk and Rock themes in a blink of an eye.
An album created for those who dare to listen to frenetic, multi-influenced Rock music.Folky Prog/Jazz Rock with a clever addition of Scandinavian nuances.Strongly recommended

apps79

I know that the first words in this review may cause "discussions", but it's the way i feel about this magnificent record... First and most important, the apparent naive attitude from the band toward the music is fantastic, the first time i heard this album i thought it was a joke, like a circus band walking down the streets of Sweden asking for a coin and having a good time... mixing, drama, jazz, improvisation, screams, rock, folk, whatever it might cross their minds: AWESOME!!! I know that this band is considered some sort of "sacred cow", and i know they've earned it, but more than just prog, is a perfect example of how to blend traditional music with modern stuff, well at least in the 70's. The record is treated like a whole system, making it a very easy listening beacuse of it's cohesion and congruence; i have to say that the long "ambient" passages create this almost classical feeling of writing music, taking care about little details of textures and "colors" in each piece, creating an aura of unexpected sounds, doing it an expirience from tip to toe. Beware, not a commercial or classic prog... just for the open minded. peace

Jorge Javier

Klossa Knapitatet catches Samla in a transitional mode, moving away from the strongly Canterbury-influenced style of their first two albums to an altogether stranger and less accessible mixture of influences. The ghost of their prior Canterbury and Zappa-influenced style does occasionally rear its head - in particular, there are some vocal experiments reminiscent of the Burnt Weeny Sandwich/Weasels Ripped My Flesh era of the original Mothers of Invention - but the folk influence is dialed up, a broader pallette of jazz is on offer than Zappa-inspired fusion, and at points the pounding of the rhythm section reaches Zeuhlish levels of intensity.
The mixture is certainly unique and marks a drastic evolution in the band's sound, so RIO fans in general will want to hear this one sooner or later, but at the same time I find that the band struggle to keep their new direction interesting over the course of the album. It's good, but it's not the first Samla album I'd recommend to someone new to the group.

W. Arthur

Samla Mammas Manna is most definitely one of the wildest bands ever, and probably one of the most unique as well.
Samla Mammas Manna is not the most avant-garde of them all, and not the least accessible. Not at all. Many songs on Klossa Knapitated are extremely catchy, melidious and fun to listen to. However, where many bands seem to strain themselves to break the rules of music, Samla Mammas Manna appears to exist in a world where no rules exist whatsoever, or one in which they make up the rules themselves and throw them about like candy paper bereft of it's sweet contents. There is a sense of easy-going in their music, as if they are a bunch of very capable musicians with very unique minds just having a lot of fun together in the studio. As if it all came naturally to them. And i find that to be rather unique in the more avant-garde end of progressive rock.
Still, the music is at times pretty challenging. The sample song on the site, "Långt ner i ett kaninhål" is not really representative in that it is one of the most accessible tracks, but it also contains that sense of humour that most of Samla Mammas Manna's music depends on (even the name of the band is a very comical one in swedish, as are many of the song titles).
Personally, i like Klossa Knapitatet more than Måltid, mainly because it contains my two favourite Samla Mammas Manna songs, "Långt ner i ett kaninhål" and "Musmjölkningsmaskinen", but in reality, the two albums follow pretty much the same concept. There shouldn't be too much of a dilemma as to which to listen to first.
Very highly recommended for... well, everyone really. One of the bands i as a Swede am the most proud over to be associated with.

Julian Evans

If you are not a fan of RIO, this is your ideal introduction. Rock-in-Opposition (RIO for short) is often considered a tough genre to get into. Bands of the movement like Univers Zero, Art Zoyd, Henry Cow, and Etron Fou Leloublan were notoriously serious, producing harsh, challenging, and often dissonant music. Samla is the exact opposite of these qualities.
While other RIO bands were being incredibly serious (Etron to an almost comical extent), Samla were not afraid to have some fun. This record is a great example of this. With their unique fusion of Swedish folk music, prog rock, avant-garde, and a touch of jazz, they make wonderful music that no prog fan should ignore. Upbeat, catchy melodies abound, without sacrificing any of the complexity or tightness that makes RIO great. And unlike the previous effort Maltid, every single piece here is great, and each flows marvelously into the next.
The musicianship is very strong here, with all four band members absolutely shining on their respective instruments. As always with Samla, Lars Hollmer's incredible work on keys (electric piano being his dominant keyboard) seems to lead the band, but all of the instruments are participating and adding to the music at all times.
If you are an RIO fan or simply someone looking for melody and FUN, you must check out this record.

Jake

Samla mammas manna's "Klossa knapitatet" should be an excellent place to go if you want to try one Samla-record and hear them from their different sides. Klossa knapitatet which is a paraphrase of "overthrow capitalism" was released in 1974 on Silence records. As most Swedish bands from the 70s they were revolutionary but not in the way of "Knutna nävar" (a marxist-leninistic band) or "Nynningen" or "Röda kapellet". Samla mannas manna wanted to change the society but began with changing the music. So the classification rock in opposition couldn't be more right. The excellent musicians here are Coste Apetrea(guitars, vocals), Hasse Bruniusson(drums, vocals), Lasse Hollmer(piano, accordion, yoddeling, vocals), Lasse Krantz(bass, vocals) and Brynn Settels helped them with accordion on "Klossa knapitatet". Inside the record folder there is an interview with the band where you can read about their statements and relation to the music. The Swedish "progg"-wave was, if you didn't know that, extremely politic for better or worse.
I have had this record for over ten years. Me father and I collected Swedish "progg"-vinyls when I was small. Then we prefered the more political music such as "Nationalteatern" or "Dan Berglund" so this record has grown for me and it is now, when I have found my new gods in the progressive world I finally can appreciate SMM's music.
This is an extremely good record I warmly recommend. I didn't enjoy their first record "Samla mammas manna" so much, their second is better but this is perfect. "Snorungarnas symfoni" is also a masterpiece in their production but this is closer to what sound we do interconnect SMM with. I wouldn't say Klossa knapitatet involves everything, but It does almost. There are som many strong melodies here, played in a wonderful genuine way with all the instruments can do. Some tracks are more experimenting than others but all the time they are so coherent and real it's hard to not love it. "Ingenting", the starter has a nice little melody that welcomes us and "Liten dialektik" is more exploring and asking. It's like a mystery they were trying to solve. "Långt ner i ett kaninhål" has a symphonic melody and it is like a comedy or a satire of pop music. The next side starts with revolutionary "Kom lite närmare" which talks to the audience and frightens them. "Musmjölkningsmaskinen" is as absurd as its name (The mouse-milking machine) with a wild and crazy melody and "Influenser" is opposite to everything. "Klossa knapitatet" uses accordions to make its wonder and "Ramlösa kvällar" closes everything in a good way.
This is a wordless record but the instruments tell a lot. If you haven't heard Samla mammas manna this is a perfect beginning. Don't be afraid of their left wing opinions, you won't hear them. The revolution is in the music, and they have a lot in common with Frank Zappa for example. Also a plus for its different cover, a painting of Tage Åsén.

Adrian Drömmaren

I love the piano and drums. I am not entirely invoked by these albums, but the music is good. Furthermore, as far as RIO goes, you could probably put this in when your friends visit. They will ask you if it's Zappa, and since most of your friends like Zappa, it's ok. Still, it is really hard to get a handle on, but it's compelling enough to put on every once in a while, and is actually better than a lot of Zappa.

K.A. Bright

This , for me, is a masterpiece. For many reasons. But mostly because it has a very original sound. Quite original compositions (mix of Mothers of Invention improv and swedish folk / jazz/rock fusion with some humor tossed in for good measure). Get it and prepare yourself for some creative listening. Not too heavy and not symphonic at all. But quite progressive nevertheless. Be sure to check the early works of their main composer:Lars Hollmer. And also their off shot group : Von Zamla. All recommended. (By the way...the other masterpiece from this band is not even listed! That would be 'Familjesprickor' or 'Family Cracks')

M. Hiraldo

Otro disco impresionante que les compartimos gracias a Alberto para que se entretengan en lo que el propio Alberto nombra como la "escuelita de rock", especial para que estudien mucho en este fin de semana largo!